


C-Sec: A Manhunt

by MVAU



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:20:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23123140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MVAU/pseuds/MVAU
Summary: Two years after the Relay 314 Incident with the humans on Earth, Castis is tasked with a new kind of case: as a junior detective, he's in charge of the first human/turian joint-investigation.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Castis glimpsed through the interior window that looked from the detectives desk-room to the primary office where many constables and officers of various ranks gathered for their coming meeting. The folio in front of him was a briefing given to him by Executor Vestus, preliminary information about Castis' next case. It was why Vestus had called the meeting. It was why Castis felt abnormally uneasy. 

_Humans._

The Relay 314 Incident had only ended nearly two years prior, and there were incoming disgruntled reports about the newcomers in the Lower Wards from civilians and constables alike. Citadel regulations were hastily handed out to the same humans, though Castis was sure none had read it. He had seen a few talking with a VI, at least there was some progress. 

...A taskforce sent from Earth...massive investigation originating in Alliance space...humans have their planetary police force: Interpol...Your team will liaison...Don't let me down...

The remaining pages left little about the case itself. What was so vital that it involved the Council and C-Sec? It must've been an extensive and nightmarish investigation the humans were on.

The door hissed.

"Sir? Vestus has arrived."

It was Junis Gladien, his newest teammate, a previous soldier of exceptional quality, and completely barefaced. 

"Thank you, Junis." He closed the folio and followed the younger turian to the main room where the others had amassed. A knot pitted and sank deeper into his stomach. 

Standing before them was a notably tall turian with pale green tattoos, beadily eyeing them with talons on hips. Junis shifted beside Castis as Executor Vestus gave them all a steady glare. Most present were turian, though there was a decent number of batarian and krogan constables in the back. 

Vestus raised his hand in the air. "How many served during the Relay 314 Incident?" he asked.

Quite a few hands rose, particularly among the newer officers. 

"How many more had friends or loved ones serve?"

Many more rose.

"How many lost friends or loved ones?"

Some hands rose, others dropped. Vestus paused for dramatic effect.

"How many have or would let their personal experiences interfere with their proper duty?"

All hands lowered immediately, including Castis' own. No good turian would allow grievances to impede duty. Not among C-Sec.

"Excellent. What I like to see," murmured Vestus. He began to pace in the circle the officers had made around him. "The Council has sanctioned an ongoing investigation of a slaver brute squad between C-Sec...and the human police organization named Interpol. In 48 hours, an all-human taskforce will arrive here at headquarters to resume their investigation of this brute squad, with the favor of the Council."

There were faint murmurs and sub vocals among the crowd, but they kept composure as would be expected.

"As all of you are professionals, I don't have to say this often. But I will still say this once," said Vestus. "I don't want to see, hear, or even smell any unprofessional rift between any officer and a member of the human task force. There aren't many times the Council puts pressure on us to do our job, but we are today. This case must go right. The joint-op must be a success. Understood?" 

"Yes, sir!"

They sounded like a military platoon answering. The officers disbanded. Vestus watched passively with hands clasped behind his back, mandibles held close to his jaw. As the others dispersed, he looked to Castis.

"Vakarian. In my office, now." 

Castis straightened and noticed Junis flicker his mandibles in surprise. 

"Junis, on my desk, is the case briefing. Go ahead and read up while I'm gone." He tried to keep his sub vocals steady, but even Castis had to admit he was nervous. 

While Castis had served in the military like his fellow turian coworkers, he was working as an officer at C-Sec during the Relay 314 Incident. He had watched the vids from the news and heard the stories from friends back on Palaven, but rarely had the chance to speak with a human so far, though he had seen a few over the past two years. A joint investigation like this was inevitable. 

As he followed Vestus from the room, another turian eyed him amicably, mandibles twitched, and the teal blue eyes twinkled. 

"Good luck!" muttered the turian.

"Same to you, Pallin," rumbled Castis. Vestus, a few paces ahead, didn't seem to notice or care. "You'll need it just as much as me, I'd wager."

"I'm sure I'm sure."

Perhaps Pallin's patrols along the Lower wards weren't as bad as the turian claimed; he seemed to be in good spirits. 

_"I've seen them here."  
"What? Who?"  
Humans, Castis. My younger brother told me all about them from when they captured one of their men."  
"Wait, a human here on the Citadel? I thought they were still being processed and documented?"  
"I don't know about that, but it is true, though. These humans are like peachy asari with different fringe. And they also have five fingers. Five!"  
"Well, so do asari, I suppose."  
"I know, but--Castis, what evolutionary purpose does it serve? Who needs five fingers when three is sufficient?"  
"Pallin. That isn't exactly how evolution works."_

"Sit, Vakarian."

The Executor lowered himself onto a chair behind his metal desk. It was utterly pristine and wonderfully organized, cast in the orange glow from Vestus' personal computer. Vestus, on top of being one of the tallest turians Castis had ever seen, also had the most piercing green eyes he had encountered. After Castis had seated himself, those same green eyes watched him for several seconds before the turian spoke. 

"You're a good officer, Vakarian. Solid. Trustworthy." Vestus relaxed back into his chair. "It is why I have chosen you to lead the C-Sec team in this investigation. Lead and represent, mind you."

"It's an honor and a challenge, sir, but--"

"--you're a junior detective?" interrupted Vestus. "I'm aware, thank you. All my senior detectives are deep into other investigations. It would be unwise to remove them from their posts. Of the junior detectives, your record stands out."

Castis dearly wanted to shift in his seat but also didn't wish Vestus to see him squirm. An honor. _And a challenge._

"Thank you, sir. Appreciate it."

"There is also something more." Vestus' sub vocals lowered in annoyance. "I've been informed that one of the members of this human taskforce is--a known criminal. At least in Alliance space." The mandibles clicked and tightened. "I do not condone such a breach of justice and security; however, this individual has a sort of deal with Interpol and is an active member of the investigation. Such a deal must be honored."

"What would you suggest, sir? Is the individual to be given access to our facilities?"

"That is yet to be decided. Keep a close eye on them. No need to spy, but I'd prefer not to have galactic law broken in my headquarters. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Executor. All clear."

Watch the suspect, report irregular activity, and run daily security diagnostics.

"Dismissed."

Castis rose to his feet, his omni-tool softly beeping from a slurry of incoming messages. 

"And one more thing?" Vestus said. "Keep an eye on Officer Gladien. He's.... _young_."

A nod. "Of course, sir. Good day."

_You mean, barefaced._

 _You can never trust the barefaced,_ they said. 

If Junis Gladien couldn't be trusted, then why was he accepted to C-Sec and put on the case? Castis left as soon as he could. There would be lots of ground to cover in preparation for the task force, and so far, his 'team' consisted of himself and Junis. 

When he returned to the desk-room, he found Junis sitting in his chair--a slight disrespect, though an apparent one-- scrolling through the folio. The young turian must've been--twenty? twenty-one?--and would've been a good catch if he only had facial tattoos. An attractive crest and fringe, no visible scarring, steady grey eyes. He was recommended by Vestus himself, having passed physical and mental screenings with top marks. Above that, Junis' military career, though short, was dotted with many commendations, and the young man was likely a good fit for the Special Responses Unit, not Investigation where Castis was quartered. 

"Enjoying some light reading?" Castis began. 

Junis straightened and immediately left Castis' desk, leaving behind the folio, showing no signs of embarrassment. 

"Sorry, sir." He waited as Castis sat and loaded his computer before continuing. "So it's true then, we're the team to work with this Interpol/Alliance group?"

"That's correct, though 'team' is putting it loosely. It's just you and me, Junis."

His brow plates lowered slightly. "Well, I suppose we'll require help as we need it. It seems strange to put two officers on a job this important. Any info on what the investigation is about or who the brute squad is?"

Castis held back. It was clear Junis was very accustomed to taking charge of situations, assertive, even in the presence of a superior, which was worrisome. Joining the turian military at age fifteen would've helped curb or allow it to flourish. In Junis' case, if it was developing, the young man would still be in the military. 

What was it Executor Vestus said? _He's....young._ It meant rash, impertinent, impatient. Which only made Castis feel old. Experienced. Perhaps that was why Junis was sent to Castis. 

The kid needed mentoring.

Junis watched him steadily and gave a small sigh. "Apologies, sir. I didn't mean to be rude."

"None taken." Castis kept his voice professional and allowed his mandibles to slightly flare in approval. Junis noticeably relaxed and sat in a chair opposite of Castis, pulling out a datapad and immediately began pulling notes and logistics. "Junis, you were in the Relay 314 Incident, right?"

"Yes, I was."

"Did you meet any humans?"

Junis blinked. "Well, I did meet a few. Both males and females, not many, though." His typing slowed, and he glanced up. "Why do you ask?"

Folio in hand, Castis leaned back in his chair, easing into his blue C-Sec armor, and crossed a leg over the other. 

"What were they like? I was here on the Citadel during the Incident, and I've met very few humans since. At most, I know that--uh, they have weird fringe and five fingers."

Junis chuckled. "And five toes. Their females are more similar to asari, their males less so. Their fringe is made of strands of protein, and though soft, their skin is waterproof. They are good runners, the endurance kind. Superficially, they vary amongst one another greatly, but to the untrained eye, they likely all look the same. They call us skull-faces." The kid shrugged. "I suppose we look like birds on their planet because one called me a walking-talking bird once. Though I looked it up later, and their birds are covered in very garish feathers, so I'm not certain about that part."

"And their character?" If they were to work together, Castis needed a foundation to utilize when interacting with the new species. So far, all he knew were extreme opinions found on talk-shows, holo-news, and from the constables in the Lower Wards. Junis' frank assessment was relieving, if only because it was the first time Castis heard a steady, honest, reasonable answer. 

"They are like a strange addition in-between the volus and ourselves. Smaller, softer, rounder, and enterprising and commercial. Set-in-their-ways, yet also aggressive, bold, territorial. Cunning, even. They are good fighters. When we had prisoners, they were very communal with each other and sometimes too compassionate."

Castis raised a brow plate. "Now, that is an interesting trait. Too compassionate."

Junis considered him very matter-of-factly. "Their compassion gets them into trouble. Frequently, unnecessary trouble."

**\--Lane Godec:**

"So: what are turians like?" Lane asked, watching the ship funnel out of FTL from a bay window. She had one hand pressed up against the glass, the other shoved into a pocket. Lane looked to their team's resident brain, who typed away on a datapad. "Didn't your sister fight in the War?"

Rhys Nazari barely glanced at her. "My sister was a medic, not a spec-ops superhero."

"You're telling me we're about to head to the capital of galactic society, work with a fancy group of all-turian cops, and you don't know a thing about them? At all? I mean, c'mon. Surely, your sister saw one. She was on Shanxi."

"And part of the retreat. Not the take-over." Rhys' dark eyes roved over his orange screen, and he sighed and turned it off. "There were enough wounded that she stayed behind and cared for them on Arcturus. Those that retook Shanxi were of a different group." 

He stood and joined Lane at the window. Their arrival at the Serpent Nebula would not go unnoticed, and soon they'd get an excellent view of this capital called the Citadel. 

"You know," continued Rhys. "I do have uncensored vids from the War. From security cameras, body-cams, orbital scans, the like. I've watched them quite a bit for research, and the turians, I'd say, are the galaxy's very own police force. Organized, professional, military. Now that I know that they lead C-Sec, I'm sure of it."

Rhys was Team 2's evidence, logistics, and forensics guy, and Lane was sure he was an encyclopedia in the making. The man had a fantastic memory and intuition--although the bookish sort-- that Lane found very handy. Though Nolan, Team 2's lead detective, was the one who made the joint-investigation happen, got all the paperwork signed and stamped, it was initially Rhys' idea. 

We need to go galactic and get help. We cannot do this alone.

He was right. The Hand, having broken off from the Blue Suns, had escaped the Local Cluster and word was they had set up shop on the Citadel, though no one knew exactly. The Blue Suns had a new office on Omega, and while they didn't know everything, all reports indicated that The Hand hadn't shown their face there yet. If they had, inevitably, the Blue Suns would've slaughtered them in vengeance. 

The timing wasn't right, however. The Hand was just getting started, having built their network, but not their offices or manpower. Omega would be too audacious, especially with the Blue Suns nearby. They would begin with a location they were familiar with--urban, superficial, and accessible--to start their operations before bleeding out to other sites. 

The Citadel was perfect.

This was Lane's area of expertise. Ear to the ground, eyes on the crowd, Lane--one of Alliance space's most notorious criminals--was in charge of 'the hunt' as it were. It was her job to know, see, and understand the crowd, the street, gang movements and character, and--most of all-- their quarry. For her, this job was personal, and she had invested many years into the destruction of The Hand.

"Think so, huh?" she responded. She pretended to mull it over. "Oh, I suppose you're right."

Rhys gave her a smirk and looked back into space with a gasp. "There! Look, it's the Citadel!"

Floating among the purple nebula, the massive space station was settled elegantly among the clouds. As they came close, it became apparent why this place was such a big deal. 

It was enormous. 

It was far more extensive than Arcturus, where they debriefed before heading out, or any space station the Alliance had created. And the population must have been that of--what? An entire planet, maybe? It surely seemed like it from the window. Anxiety passed through her like a ghost, leaving a cold tingling feeling behind. This case was about to be the biggest deal she had ever worked on.

"Godec. Nazari. Come to the bridge, we're preparing to dock."

Nolan's voice fizzled out. The detective had already given them the pep-talk and likely already had his packed bag in hand. Lane and Rhys leaned away from the glass and slowly gathered their duffel bags and headed to the elevator.

Rhys blew out a heavy sigh. "This is it, Lane. This is a big deal."

"Hell yeah, it is," she responded instinctively. "No point in going after the small cases. I only like exciting ones."

He chuckled and punched the code that led them to the top level. As the lift rose, he said, "I had a feeling you'd say that."

She smiled, and they fell silent. Right as the door opened again, Rhys turned and said, "You know, I'm glad you're on this case with us, Lane. I don't think we would've gotten this far without you. With people like The Hand, we'll need someone like you in the end."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. To help us see it through. It'll be tough."

"I believe it."

Nolan Barelli, leader of Team 2, stood, waiting behind the pilots, hands clasped together. He appeared to be at ease, though to Lane, it was apparent that he was barely holding in his nervousness. Or excitement. Sometimes Nolan surprised her, and on occasion, Lane read him wrong. As much as she implicitly trusted him, she also had to remember that he was cunning as hell and intelligent to boot.

Lane knew him from a deal gone bad down in South Korea, or, at least, that was when she began to pay attention to him. They weren't there for the same thing per se: Lane was stealing some centuries-old art, and Nolan was hunting illegal weapons dealers, but South Korea became where they crossed paths. Later, it was in eastern Canada far to the north, and later still in London. At first, she believed it was a front, and he was secretly following her, but every time they met, he was genuinely surprised. As such, he began keeping tabs on her in return, and eventually, they teamed up. 

And that was three years ago.

The ship gave a soft jolt before hissing into place, and a locking mechanism thundered outside. The bay door opened, and a ramp led from the ship to the docks itself, a blue-purple light floating around the structure. Lane let out a gentle whistle. The view of the Serpent's Nebula was one she wasn't about to forget. 

The docks were staffed by various aliens, and amidst the noise and ferrying of crates and containers from one end of the wharf to the other, they quietly watched as the human taskforce stepped off the ship and set foot onto the Citadel. 

At the other end of the ramp was a woman in blue wearing a red dress.

Lane blinked. 

No, no, the woman was blue. The red dress still looked nice, though.

"Detective Nolan Barelli?" asked the woman, a soft and reasonable voice. "Team 2 from Interpol, I gather?"

She regarded them warmly with purple eyes. Nolan strode towards her with ease and offered his hand, which she accepted. 

"Present," he said with a small smile. "Nolan Barelli, Rhys Nazari, and Lane Godec. And you are?"

"Saarae Lesus."

Upon closer inspection, Saarae seemed educated, courteous, well-off. She had the attitude of someone accustomed to being taken care of, having her whims and expectations met, yet her cultured vanity was moderated by elegance and guile. Lane did her best to keep her mouth shut. 

This was an asari. Specifically, Saarae was the political socialite type. 

Saarae led them from the ship, her red wine dress softly tinkling. The back of her head reminded Lane of the tentacles from a small octopus, though it seemed the folds maintained their position coifed at the end of Saarae's head and didn't float around like the sea creature. 

"Welcome to the Citadel," she intoned. "We are eager to introduce you to the capital and begin your investigation. A cooperative case such as this between humans and tur..." --Lane could feel Saarae's embarrassment-- "Between Alliance, Interpol, and C-Sec will be extremely important in rebuilding bridges between you, our newcomers, and our society."

Team 2 was collectively silent as Saarae continued. Lane was more intrigued by the docks itself than the asari welcome committee and allowed herself to trail behind Rhys and Nolan if only to keep watch on their back. 

As much as Lane joked about aliens or pretended to know nothing, she had done her research before leaving Arcturus. It seemed, as Rhys had said, that the turians were the cops, asari the bureaucrats, the batarians the nobodys, the volus the businessmen, and the elcor who knows what. And then there were salarians, krogan, vorcha, and...

Well, that wasn't an excellent summary, but Lane understood what was truly happening. They were being watched by discontented turians, batarians, and the occasional asari or volus along the wharf. 

Everyone was sizing each other up. So these are humans, they'd think. Here she could see a hot-headed brainless scrapper, an agile cunning fighter, a tired supportive group leader, and the tiny micromanager who probably belonged behind a desk upstairs. And they whispered. She couldn't hear their exact words, but she could feel their tone. Interest and resentment. Occasional anger. Mostly just the fearful curiosity when something unknown begins. 

They entered an industrial-sized elevator, and as the doors closed, Lane could see a group of disgruntled turians watching them from afar, bodies stiff, eyes staring coldly, arms crossed. She smirked and gave a small wave. They turned away.

Saarae rattled on. 

"And, of course, I'll be acting as your liaison with the Council. As they are undoubtedly busy, they are also interested in the development of this investigation." The asari flicked an uncertain glance at Lane. "As significant progress arises, feel free to send the reports onto the Council via this portal." She typed on her omni-tool, and Nolan checked his own.

Lane needed to get one of those. Omni-tools were handy, could be modified to be more discreet, and easily accessible for handling vast amounts of information. An omni-tool was partially one of the reasons why she wanted to come to the Citadel in the first place because here she could check out the most superior stores in the galaxy for expensive tools and equipment. She certainly had spare bank accounts to use.

After the First Contact War and the return of ambassadors and generals from the Citadel back to Earth, Lane knew she had to move her finances to more galactically accessible accounts and locations. It was one of the first things she did, along with beginning her research on aliens and foreign technology. It was an attempt to improve her odds in new galactic deals and gambles. 

"And you, Godec?"

Lane blinked. "Excuse me?"

Saarae gave her a frozen smile, fully knowing that Lane hadn't been paying attention. "How do you find the Citadel so far?"

"Well...this elevator is very nice," she stated dryly. Rhys bit back a chuckle. "Though I think the docking bay may be one of the more interesting places I've seen."

Perfect for people-watching, she thought. Crowded public spaces were excellent for learning natural behavior.

Saarae pursed her lips. "Well, there are many exciting and highly cultural places on the Citadel as well, beyond the docking bay. There's a wonderful museum on asari music and culture near the Presidium and a live theater run by elcor...Oh, here we are." 

The doors opened to a series of clean corridors filled with various aliens, turians guarding essential gates and other foyer areas. At the back of the room stood the front desk, another hallway that ended at a body scanner operated by another turian. 

It seemed all guards and officers were turian, wore blue, and were very aware of their arrival. They patrolled with ease and efficiency, and the Populus submitted themselves inaudibly. A species accustomed to authority and dealing it out. Lane couldn't see a single human among the crowd, but it gave her a quick lesson on the variety of species at various ages and genders. Saarae led them to the front of the group, speaking to a green-eyed turian as he filtered the immigrants and their documents. She showed a badge, and he instantly waved them through.

Lane could feel the other civilians scowling at the back of her head, and she didn't blame them. They had just cut the line and, in seconds, were heading inside while they had been waiting for hours to be heard. Once Team 2 had passed, she could hear the indignant questions.

_"Why are they entering? I've been here since 6 am!"_

_"You're giving human privilege? I'm a member of the Asari Cultural Committee, and I'm expected in--"_

"Look!" came the sharp two-toned reply. "No one's acquiescing privilege. The humans are on Council business. Now line up and give me your documents."

The hallway they walked through was lined with what Lane believed was a one-way glass that was likely exceptionally strong and hard to break. Two cameras watched both entrances to the hall, and the scanner at the end loomed over them. When they reached the scanner, the turian operating the booth appeared surprised at their arrival, or at least, Lane had a faint feeling he was surprised. There was little from their facial expressions to work with, and he could easily have been annoyed, angry, or even delighted to see them, Lane wouldn't know the difference.

"Are...are you the human taskforce?" he asked, standing straighter. 

Nolan offered a brief smile, professional as always. "Are you C-Sec?"

The turian nodded. His blue eyes darted from Nolan to Rhys, and down to Lane. He eyed Lane's head the most. She had put her hair up into a pony-tail and let the length sway side to side. 

"But, your fringe is so different," he muttered quietly.

Saarae clicked teeth in irritation and showed him her badge as she had done with the immigration officer earlier. "Officer...?"

"Vitri, ma'am," the turian replied, immediately returning to his work.

"Officer Vitri, I have very little time, and these individuals must arrive at C-Sec headquarters, so if you please..."

"I understand, ma'am." Officer Vitri hastily considered her badge and waved them through the body scanner.

His entire aura had changed; he was all business now. When Lane passed through, she could feel his interest in her hair, the kind of attention that prompted people to touch her curls. The door at the other side opened.

"Have a good day," Vitri said brightly.

**\--Castis Vakarian:**

Junis slipped into the desk-room and flung a datapad onto his table, rapidly straightening his polished armor and giving his crest a quick pass of the hand. 

"What is it, Junis?" Castis watched the younger turian turn around and promptly leave the room.

"They're here!"

Castis sprang to his feet and looked out the side window. Lo and behold, led by an asari were three humans entering now, and from the right, Castis could see Executor Vestus descending the stairs to receive them. Junis waited expectantly outside the desk-room door, hands behind his back. Castis hurried out and tarried beside Junis, the latter turning and giving him a quick flare of the mandibles. The tension and excitement were palpable. Almost every constable and officer present stopped their activities and stood close to observe. 

The first human was a male arrayed in a black and white uniform. Very professional, Castis noted, calm, and confident. Easily the leader. The man was shorter than Castis, blue-eyed, and had the air of cunning and instantly recognized Executor Vestus as their director, offering the giant turian his hand. 

"Welcome. You must be Detective Barelli," said Vestus.

"Nolan," replied the man. "Yes, and thank you."

The second human was another male, much smaller than Nolan, though robust in a wiry sort of way. He had dark, inquisitive eyes and heavy brows and seemed to be the kind to keep counsel close, knowing who to trust and when. Nolan Barelli stepped aside, arm outstretched toward the smaller man.

"This is my partner, Rhys Nazari. Logistics and forensics."

Rhys stepped forward. "A pleasure, Executor."

His voice was lighter than Castis expected. Rhys seemed to be a soft-spoken individual, but it was the person behind him that interested Castis the most. 

A woman, smaller than Rhys, towered over by Vestus, stood prominently before them. She wore human civilian clothing, and Castis sensed had already cased the office, tallied the entrances, emergency exits, and observed the quality of police-force present. After shaking Executor Vestus' hand, she promptly gazed at Castis as if catching him in the act. She had the air of someone who knew things. 

"And this is our contact lead, Lane Godec," said Barelli. 

Vestus scrutinized her. "I hear you have quite the reputation."

She smiled and stepped aside. "I'm sure I do."

Castis remembered his meeting with Vestus two days prior. A criminal hired alongside the taskforce as their contact lead was astonishing to him and particularly worrying to the Executor. It was decided that the person--now Lane--would be given minimal access to C-Sec headquarters, basic entry along with primary access to facilities and storerooms if needed. Castis couldn't tolerate the thought of a felon rifling through their secure files right under their noses beneath the guise of 'investigation.'

The tension rose and subsided, most of those present seemed curious at the arrival of the newcomers, but there was a distinct feeling of animosity vibrating in the air. He wondered if the humans could feel it too. Standing beside him, Junis was very controlled.

"What do you think?" asked the younger, keeping his gaze forward.

Castis didn't automatically reply but watched as the three humans followed the Executor to his office, knowing their next stop would be his desk. The moment they were out of earshot, some officers whispered among themselves.

_"Those are the aliens that drove us out of Shanxi?"_

_"But they look so soft."_

_"Not very disciplined, it seems."_

_"Let's get back to work. We'll show the humans how it's done."_

He slowly turned to Junis. "It seems we're about to have our hands full."

The younger turian's mandibles flickered in a small smile. "I think you're right. Should we go? They'll be here soon."

Castis led the way, and the detective's desk-room had suddenly become a large gathering area for all the other detectives and their junior partners. Once Castis and Junis entered, they became quite lively.

"Vakarian! Think you can handle this case?"

"More apt to better handle it than you, it seems, Cortentius," Castis retorted to laughter.

"Maybe you'll get promoted, Castis," said another.

"Spirits, don't talk about that." 

Castis made his way past their desks and to his own, receiving some back pats along the way. Junis followed him closely, almost like a bodyguard, and once Castis had seated himself, his junior partner turned around and faced the others.

"The human taskforce will be here in a few minutes. Better not be caught gossiping like a gaggle of mothers."

A few chuckles and scowls, but barefaced Junis was right. The door hissed open, and the humans stepped inside. The laughter subsided, and silence hung thick, and the two groups eyed each other for almost a minute. Detective Barelli, surveying the turians, looked nonplussed and promptly walked directly to where Castis sat. It seemed Vestus had informed him as to who his C-Sec liaison was, but the boldness with which the human did it took Castis off guard. 

One hand being held behind his back, the detective offered the other to Castis, slightly leaning forward at the hips. 

"Barelli," he said. Turning to the others, he continued pointing at each, "Nazari and Godec."

Accepting the handshakes, Castis noted their skin was warm and smooth. It had a soft caramel color of varying intensity among each of the humans. Godec's had interesting brown flecks he hadn't seen before; in fact, her face was overlaid with the same dots along the cheeks and nose. A notable difference, Castis thought and wondered what it meant.

Barelli turned to Junis and gave the same politeness. Junis, keeping his sub vocals controlled, stood and accepted each handshake. When they were finished, Barelli immediately took out a pack of folios. Castis rose a brow plate. How many folios did humans need?

"I have all the information for the debrief. How would you like to begin?"


	2. The Debrief

The moment they settled for a debrief, Lane knew Detective Vakarian was trouble, and not in the way Nolan felt when she first learned he was with Interpol. The debrief was headed primarily between Nolan and Lane with Rhys popping in with facts and figures when it counted, but whenever Lane interjected, Castis exuded disapproval. If they were back on Earth, then maybe she'd chalk it up to centuries past chauvinism, but that didn't apply to the turian necessarily. He must've known she was a former criminal.

Well, semi-former criminal.

It appeared his junior partner, Junis, wasn't informed. He followed along meticulously and nodded his head encouragingly. Despite his reasonably neutral language, he somehow seemed pleased at the knowledge presented, as if he approved of the human's work.

Academically, Lane knew they had proven their worth. In action, that was another question. Team 2 was out of their depth at the galactic capital. However, this mission was critical, more so to Lane than to Rhys or Nolan. To them, it was professional, but for Lane, it was a personal matter. She had seen firsthand the carnage and suffering done by this group of kidnappers and slavers. 

"Alright, but who is the Hand, and why are so important?" The young turian, Junis, now had his boots resting on a crate of supplies that had been hastily put by Castis' desk and was leaning back in his chair while taking notes. "Clearly, this investigation has taken years to get this far. Why not hand it over to C-Sec entirely?"

Castis, nursing a thermos of hot black water, flicked him an annoyed look. Lane didn't quite understand fully what their dynamic was, but it seemed she was on the right track. It would take weeks of practice to learn the behavior and mannerisms of these turians. 

Nolan nodded to Lane. "Your turn."

Lane stood and brought over a light drawing board she took from an empty desk. 

"Right. The Hand is a human trafficking organization and occasional death squad led by Bertol Moors, a native of Earth. They fancy themselves ride-or-die mercenaries, and while true, it's part of a facade. Like most slavers, they prey on populations sizeable enough where you won't miss your neighbor, but sufficiently isolated enough that police or officials can't come to help until it's too late."

Junis raised his stylus. "What is ride-or-die?"

She shrugged. "Well, it's a human way of saying...all or nothing."

"It's the idea of intensity," Rhys interjected. "Being willing to do what it takes or die trying. Dedicated."

"I can appreciate that," said Junis, lowing his hand. It was heavily gloved, and Lane immediately wondered what musical instruments turians played when they had a thumb and two fingers. Couldn't possibly be a harp, or even piano. Maybe a modified flute...

"But I don't understand how that's part of their facade," continued Junis. "Wouldn't a group of mercenaries and fighters want to be dedicated? Turians certainly are."

"The Hand make themselves out to be an intense, clean, legitimate security service," Lane said. "Defense contractors, guardsmen, and former military men. However, they do this because they wish to sneak into areas--domesticated civilian areas, that is--under this honorable facade while preying upon adults and children alike to sell abroad."

Junis gave her what she thought was an expression of recognition. What she thought were his eyebrows raised, and then he nodded. It was hard to say, though. If Nolan was tough to read, turians were going to be a harder nut to crack. It seemed they all had a raw intensity about them as if they were done and indifferent to everyone around them and their lesser opinions. Junis at least was more communicative. Even Executor Vestus was very direct and professional in his communication; however, Castis had yet to say a word. 

"Bertol Moors was expelled from a previous human mercenary group due to his extremism and severe violence. He led a few individuals away with him. Before coming here, I contacted Zaeed Massani--his old boss--, and he said..."

"Which group was this?" interrupted Junis. "Eclipse? Blood Pack? Both have a hold here in the Citadel."

Lane blinked. "Haven't heard of those honestly, though that would be a good place to check. These were Blue Suns. They come from Alliance territory." 

She could feel the assumptions rise from Castis and Junis' shoulders. _Human mercenaries, of course._

"As I was saying, he was kicked out. In the past two years, he has rebuilt his network and crew and restarted his business, and it is rumored he's expanded beyond just human labor."

On the drawing board, she drew a terrible map of Earth, Arcturus, the Luna and Mars colonies, Shanxi, and other human settlements, putting arrows to show The Hand's movement from Earth to the territories where they made their rounds. She highlighted Shanxi, Benning, Demeter, Eden Prime, and a few others in red. Luna and Mars in blue.

"These are their primary areas of operation within Alliance space, but since expanding to Council and the rest of the galaxy, I don't have an exact location as to their presence. I've checked Omega --his old boss has moved there-- and so far he hasn't seen Bertol on that rock yet."

Castis set down his thermos. "And what does all this have to do with the Citadel?"

"Right on time, Vakarian," she replied, earning a glare.

Nolan leaned forward and showed them a series of photos taken by security cams from ships, scanners, and buoys. The team of now five members leaned in to take a closer look. They showed various shipwrecks, pillaged and torn apart, with locations varying across Council space, some even in the Serpent's Nebula. At least one was shot within sight of Citadel boundaries. 

"This last one is the most important," Nolan said. He zoomed the photo onto the side of one of the destroyed transport ships. "C-Sec went to apprehend this ship, and it turned into a small fight. It was leaving from Citadel, it's planned trajectory is unknown, but look at this."

Pointing, he indicated a small stamped black symbol on the side of the apprehended ship. It was a human hand with long, spindled fingers and an out-turned thumb. The members of Team 2 waited for a reaction from their turian counterparts. 

"These have been showing up on multiple ships known to have left the Citadel, some have been found on vehicles in the Citadel," Nolan continued when Junis and Castis didn't respond. They still carefully examined the photos. 

"This is C-Sec imagery," stated Junis. "How did you get a hold of them?"

"Your Executor --the tall one?-- he authorized transmitting these photos to us as we were gathering intel to allow us an audience with the representatives of the Council," said Nolan. "We needed that approval as we are a planetary force from Earth, and we normally would have no authority here."

They quietened, and the two turians filtered through the images once again. Lane felt an unspoken rumble. Surprisingly, it came from Castis. They had finally gotten a rise out of him. 

"So it is the increase of these sightings that has brought your search to us," he mused, his voice dripping with anger. "Some of those incidents I remember personally. One was near a turian colony, if I recall correctly, not too long ago."

Nolan nodded and waved an expressive hand toward the piles of folios stacked on Castis' desk. "This is the fear of Interpol...and a _little_ of the Alliance. I had to bully a general into sanctioning us to come here, so perhaps not as much. However, we've dedicated many teams to this: finding and bringing down The Hand and especially that wretched Bertol Moors. He has built a galactic trafficking group in two years-- _two years!_ \-- and has likely already taken and sold many thousands across space. "

It was such a great way to hammer in the importance of the job. Nolan, at the helm, with his distinct Mediterranean mannerisms coming to fruition while appearing an inspirational detective and policeman. Lane knew Nolan had become very dedicated to this case over the years. Just as she had. The damage Bertol had done, thought Lane, was inconceivable. There was a particular pit of acid for people like Bertol that Lane was happy to toss him into. 

"Bertol is a professional, he has decades of experience," added Lane, gaining a piercing look from Vakarian. _So are you._ "This is our best lead."

Castis straightened in his chair. "What is our first move, Barelli?"

"One: my team needs housing. We literally arrived here two hours ago and have nowhere to stay. Two: we go shopping. Rhys and Lane need omni-tools. Three: all these folios--" he motioned to the pile on the desk "--need to be uploaded. These folios are clumsy and outdated, but they are relatively categorized. We have all the evidence and info on this job within these folios, so they need organizing. With your better tools, that'll be easy. Then we'll want to start with any leads via C-Sec, while also getting the lay of the land, especially in human communities. Lane likely will want to take that on."

Lane raised a hand. "I'd also like to secure housing. We'll need a strategic location, non-descript, with multiple entrances and exits."

"I can help with that. I've been to the Lower Wards often enough to scout a good place to hold up," Junis chimed. He glanced at Castis, who gave him a nod. "One of C-Sec's entrances is actually in the Lower Wards, we can start there." 

_Perfect._ An opportunity to learn about not just the turian himself and how this galactic society worked, but also a chance to understand the tense undercurrent between him and Castis. She didn't understand their people or culture well enough to be confident at all. She had watched the vids of the War just like everyone else; back then, she had recently joined Nolan's team and made her deal with Interpol, uncertain as to where her future went since she had teamed up with a bunch of policemen. Now look at her, she was working with _galactic_ policemen.

But she hated Bertol. It was worth it.

Rhys finally looked up from his datapad. "If you have someone to parse through the information with me, I can get that evidence uploaded today."

"I can get one of the constables to arrange that," said Castis. His stony face hadn't moved, but his shoulders had relaxed. 

_Movement._ After a six month stall on their investigation by some dumb military nobody, they finally had movement. It thrilled Lane to feel it happening. 

Bertol was going to get it, even if Lane had to lock him in an outhouse and burn it to the ground. 

**\--Castis Vakarian--**

If Lane somehow managed to pull off any misdemeanor or crime while under Castis' jurisdiction, he knew it would be upon his head, and perhaps he would lose his job.

He observed as Junis and Lane exited the desk room, worried that he wasn't able to inform Junis of Lane's particular situation before meeting the humans. He wasn't expecting them to dive right into work that very minute, and now Junis was giving Lane, the one person who could bring down the entire investigation, a tour. They'd soon leave to find housing, likely a suite at a hotel or maybe a flat somewhere in town. Lane's specifications but Castis on edge. 

_Strategic location, non-descript, with multiple entrances and exits._

Castis wished he knew more about Lane's history, anything beyond what the Executor had given him, as it was clear she had experience in this type of endeavor. 

Nolan excused himself and helped Rhys gather the chunky folios. The human detective was quiet, familiar, and straightforward with his subordinate, it seemed they had been working together for many years. He wasn't the type of individual Castis was expecting to meet so soon after the relay Incident. It seemed Castis had expected someone similar to the vids and documentaries about humans. Wild and unapologetic. Was it too early to ask about Lane? 

"Barelli, a word?"

Nolan regarded him. "Of course. A moment."

Humans had such reflective eyes, much like asari. Rhys exited, and Nolan returned to Castis, sending a quick message off on his omni-tool with a furrowed brow. It seemed he was still learning how it worked. 

"What is the matter?" Nolan's voice was accented so very different than the other two. Strong t's and rolling r's, dynamic. 

The desk room was quiet. All other detectives and constables had left on their investigations across the Citadel, and some evaded the desk room to allow Castis some privacy. At least, Pallin had. Pallin was like that.

"I appreciate your team's desire to delve into work immediately. Surely, we could use a bit more of that energy here in Investigations, but I'm concerned about--"

"Lane Godec?" interrupted Nolan. A small smile formed on the human's face, creasing the skin along the corners of his mouth. "She's not been given full access to your facilities, I assure you."

"Well, I...ah, I didn't mean to be..." Castis faltered. Was he rude? It didn't matter, he had to know. "Look, I just want to see why a known criminal is on your team and why she's on this case. In C-Sec, we don't normally allow these types of _arrangements_."

"Lane Godec is on my team because I recruited her three years ago on Earth after taking down the Pollux Syndicate. She's invaluable, and I trust her."

"Really? How can you be certain? She's a criminal of your own people."

"She's dedicated to our case and cause. Despite being a criminal, she's smart enough to not have enough evidence for any of her crimes to actually put her on trial. This is a good place for her and her talents. On the hunt. On the ground in the streets finding information and unfindable people."

"You seek to redeem her."

"I seek to bring Bertol Moors and his followers to justice. I would be foolish to ignore Lane's help or hinder her path back into society." 

Nolan was stiff now, brows lowered, blue eyes darkened. Castis had offended him, it seemed. 

"I once assumed Lane was just another selfish lawbreaker," he began. "When we took down Pollux's headquarters, she was the one to warn me of the dangers inside, the only one smart enough to say Bertol Moors was the most critical person in the building, apart from Pollux. If you let him get away, she said, he will return more dangerous than before. We took the headquarters, Pollux was killed, and we made several arrests. In typical lawman's terms, it was a success, but we were too arrogant to listen. Bertol got away, and here we are." 

"You can imagine Lane was furious, but I wasn't around for that. I was given accolades back in Lyon for what happened. I was worried, though, and reached out to Lane personally. She already had a lead on Bertol's location. She came to Lyon, and we chatted and made a deal. I convinced Interpol to put me on the job cleaning up after Pollux, which really was a guise for finding Bertol. We rooted him out of Earth, he fled to the colonies. We rooted him from there, then Shanxi and all that happened, and Bertol disappeared. In the chaos, it became challenging to resume the hunt, even the Alliance was giving us problems." 

"I had Lane and Rhys look for an authority in law enforcement in the galaxy and get me their personal information. They found C-Sec and Executor Vestus. I sent him a message, asking him to run diagnostics and send us the imagery results. He confirmed my identity, and we were in business. With Vestus's help, finally, we were able to get the green light from the Alliance to broaden our search and come here. I could've been here six months ago. Six months we have lost! Even more so, three years we've been looking for Bertol. All because I wouldn't listen to Lane."

Nolan pinched his nose and gloomily sighed. "I can only imagine what he has done to communities abroad."

"You're telling me," started Castis after a pause, "that you randomly messaged Executor Vestus without so much as an introduction?"

The human gave a ragged chuckle. "Yes... I suppose it sounds slightly forward of me, but I had to do something. _Anything._ I was at my wits end stuck on Earth."

Castis could get used to this human. 

Communities across the galaxy depended on them today, but their range only extended to the Citadel, Serpent's Nebula, and Alliance space. It wasn't a broad reach, and soon they'd reach their limit, Castis thought ruefully. That would cause issues, not just for the investigation but also with specific team members. 

His mind returned to the images Nolan had shown them. The ones taken nearby turian colonies disturbed him. He had heard rumors of increased cases like those around Palaven as well. Casual kidnappings, disappearances, raids, and hijacking ships. The irony of it coming from the Citadel was immense. Castis wasn't ignorant of the Citadel's underground--how could he as a cop?--but the Citadel was their galactic capital, a symbol of their unification and progress. Civilians around space trusted the Citadel and the Council, and now the Hand was taking advantage of it.

If only Nolan could've come sooner, how much could they have learned by now? It was a useless thought, Castis knew. Reality was in the present. The detective had said he bullied an Alliance general into forcing their hand and allowing them to investigate at the Citadel. Nolan seemed a fairly reasonable man, though Castis knew better than to assume too much. Nolan was a detective just as much as Castis, and frequently you had to play your hand boldly and aggressively. Not that Castis liked it when that happened, he preferred more proper methods. 

It didn't matter now. It was time for work.

**\--Junis Gladien--**

Junis wasn't confident what it was--the feel, the presence, the candor--but he knew Lane felt familiar. Not the woman herself, but perhaps it was her experience. Her attitude. It was clear she felt no real animosity towards him for being turian, and she seemed enthusiastic about their work. Applying his understanding of asari, her face exuded positivity and boldness, and she even walked with tenacity. 

Then again, she was much shorter than he had expected. Lane had to walk many steps just to keep up with his casual gait. Perhaps that was why she seemed so energetic, she had to be just to keep up. 

His mandibles clicked. 

She quickly scanned every room they entered as they exited Investigations and went to the main lobby. Many constables armored in blue watched and muttered to each other as they passed, a behavior Junis was accustomed to. Some held their mandibles tight, others were guarded but watched on passively. 

It's how it was in every colony, dock, station, fort, and assignment he had ever held or visited his entire life. As progressive as turians were, being barefaced was still looked down upon, and it was something he could never run away from. Sure, he could break down and finally get one, but there was no colony or city he considered close enough to gain a facial tattoo. It was a regular turian thing to undertake, yet Junis felt he had to be more turian despite not having one. He had to be better, faster, smarter, funnier. His military record was a piece of art, his education--well, that was another story--but he managed to test out of all his classes once he started boot camp, his reputation was clean, his honor upheld. Even his family was doing better now that he had managed to get them a suitable apartment on Aephus.

Actually, it was all going _relatively_ well as Junis' rash decisions made four months ago were finally catching up with him. Leaving the military in a fit of rage wasn't typically Junis' style. Still, neither was he a fan of blatant nepotism, so he supposed C-Sec was better than mopping floors at a laundromat or sticking it out in the military, waiting to be passed over for someone else's younger brother. It was a dull four months of training on the Citadel, but with a case like this with humans, traffickers, crime syndicates....perhaps there was something to being a cop after all. 

Still, he missed his days with his platoon. 

"How long have you and Vakarian worked together?" asked Lane, accent crisp.

They entered the central elevator, and he punched the button for the Lower Wards, resuming his stance, hands clasped behind the back.

"A month."

She whipped her head to look at him, golden coils of hair bouncing at the back of her head. "What?"

"I was assigned to Castis a month ago. I joined C-Sec around 4 months ago. Three months and three weeks, actually."

_And five days._

Lane's eyebrow raised. "So, you're telling me you're a rookie."

"I served eight years in the military and have done night raids, military investigations, and operations. Even led them. I have the experience, and I know what I'm doing." His mandibles clicked again as he held them close to his jaw. The elevator doors opened, and he steered her through a crowd of civilians and down the corridor, leading to the Lower Wards. 

_I'm just not a very good cop._

Lane chuckled. "Skills like that might be useful on a job like this."

They arrived at the entrance, and she stopped in her tracks, dark eyes widening. Junis observed carefully as she slowly walked toward the banister that outlined balcony, leaned on it, and keenly gazed at the flurry of aliens below. He had led her to the primary Lower Wards market, in part to see how she reacted to aliens, the dirty streets, and the atmosphere. Her head darted back and forth as she peered and examined the folks below. Salarians, turians, asari, a few krogan, a decent amount of batarians--Junis probably should keep an eye on them, at least for Pallin's sake--and one hanar. As he neared, she leaned over and whispered.

"What's the elephant-with-no-trunk one?"

Junis blinked. "What is an elephant?"

She went to point in the general direction of what she saw, thought better of her pointing, and retracted her finger. "The big gray one."

"You mean an elcor?"

"Is that what it's called? How curious."

"Why are you whispering? He cannot hear you." Junis thought for a moment. "At least, I would be very impressed if he could."

She didn't seem to hear him but was soaking in the market. Colorful lights of signs and advertisements, market stands, crates, eat-out diners, and a buzz of conversation. Her face lit up with great attention, and she appeared to relax. 

"Now, _this_ is interesting," she murmured.

Though intrigued, the sight of so many aliens didn't appear to surface belligerent or hardened emotions in her as in other humans Junis had seen. During the debriefing, he had noticed she was casual, bold, but very knowledgeable. Walking here, she was comfortable while alone and out of her depth. Despite knowing so little of the galaxy around her, she was learning very quickly.

"You seem at ease here," said Junis.

She appraised him. "Well...Yes, I suppose you could say that."

He leaned onto the rail, making sure he caught her attention. "You grew up on the streets, didn't you?"

Now _that_ made her notice. 

"What makes you say that?"

His mandibles flared, and he couldn't keep his pride out of his voice. "I grew up on the docks on various space stations, colonies, and shipyards. Something felt familiar about you, something I remembered from before I joined the military. You grew up on the streets, too, that must be it. You have that feel."

Lane's small smile widened into a knowing grin. "You're pretty sharp for turian."

"And you are pretty keen for a human."

She outreached a hand, and he accepted. "Pleasure meeting you, Junis," she said. "I look forward to our business together."

"Likewise. Now, ready for some real shopping?" Junis added, feigning a yawn and stretched. "I'm certain my boss would not appreciate us being gone long, and we need to get your people a place to live in."

Lane laughed as they turned down a walkway to the suburbs. "You mean Castis? What could possibly please Castis?"


End file.
